My fiancée Allison and I have spent the past four years giving each other pretty nontraditional gifts.

That’s why when I opened a box containing 500 packets of red pepper flakes on Valentine’s Day, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.

I love red pepper flakes, and no pizza, grilled cheese or pasta is complete without them. She knows that.

I like to think we don’t buy into corporate America’s idea of holiday gift-giving, both literally and figuratively.

Chocolates, flowers and oversized stuffed animals are nice, but where’s the effort? Where’s the thought?

With this most recent gift, I started thinking back on previous holidays and thought I’d share some of better gifts we’ve exchanged over the years.

On a previous Valentine’s Day, I fashioned poster boards into cards, wrote pun-filled messages themed from our University, and stapled king-size candy bars to them.

After graduation, Allison got me a massive bound book filled with the full editions of all the student newspapers I had been a part of during the previous three years.

Allison, also a journalism major, also has all of her work preserved in the book, and it’s fun to look back on the memories we made in college in the massive book.

I’m a minimalist to a fault, and Allison knows that. I have an irrational fear of hoarding, and I compulsively throw things away I consider to be clutter.

It made sense that for my 22nd birthday, we did something that would take up no space at all: make a memory.

We took a trip to Memphis where we threw caution to the wind and went skydiving. The experience was one that I’ll never forget, or throw away.

My favorite exchange was the Christmas that seemed to be Austin themed. Without knowing what each other was giving, I presented her with a 4’ frame filled with pictures of me, and I unwrapped from her a blanket with my face on it. Talk about a gift that was larger than life.

All this is to say, when giving a gift, put some thought into it. Chocolate, flowers and stuffed animals are nice, but the right gift says “I love you” without needing a single word.

 

Austin Vining is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. Reach him by emailing austin.vining@vicksburgpost.com.